Reflective reflectiveness...reflection!!!

Whew!!! Well it's been busy. The wedding was good. The reception was more like a party than a reception, but the only person that really didn't dig it was my grandma probably :) Came home for school for two days (bleh...seems like everybody else had off) then back to Waco for Thanksgiving.

Matthew wasn't there this year, his first Thanksgiving not at Grandma's house. Him and Sarah were on the Honeymoon. I guess it won't be the last. They're going to start having to split holidays and such...poopies! My grandmother wasn't physically up to the car trip up to Waco so her and my daddy stayed here in Austin. It was my first Thanksgiving without my daddy. I'm hoping that she gets her strength up for Christmas time. I'd really want to say that I'm refuse to have Christmas without my daddy, but I kinda realized that that was being a little selfish. I'm just praying that's something I don't even have to worry about.

We heard the fireworks go off at the Domain around eight tonight. It's almost Christmas time people!!! Well as of today it's not even December, but I want to stretch out the Christmas season as long as possible. It has to be one of my favorite times of year. There's just something so magical about it. There's just magic in the air.

And yes there is Christmas music being played in my house as I type this. We'll have driven my daddy crazy soon. I keep bugging him about getting down the Christmas decorations, but he keeps saying not until you finish your homework (but we now that will never happen...so maybe that's why he's saying it). But besides Santa and all that jazz which is really just jazz anyway, I musn't forget Jesus is the why we celebrate.

Darfur

I had no clue what the Darfur genocide was. I was curious about what it was, but I didn't do anything to learn about it. And even though we're in Darfur's sixth year of conflict I still hadn't known about it until I had to do this blog. And six years of conflict means six years of information I've missed. I've researched it and pieced together the information.

Darfur is a region of Sudan about the size of Texas. Two groups rebelling against the Sudanese government caused the creation of the Jangaweed. This militant who has taken up position against the innocent citizens of Darfur. 400,000 civilians have been killed. 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes. Many have been raped, abducted, and abused.

There are so many groups involved in this conflict; the Chinese Government, the Rwanda Government, the Militant, and the people who didn't resist. So which party is the worst?

The militant is a group called the Jangaweed. This group is organized, supported, and funded by the Sudanese government. The government hires people to be in this group. It works for the extermination of African tribes Darfur. They are the ones carrying out this genocide. They are the obvious answer to this question. However there is more to the answer. They are still my answer to the question, but there are other parties who all that much better.

The Chinese government is involved in this genocide, but its not as obvious. The Chinese government has forgiven Sudan of 1.2 billion dollars of debt, pledged to build a palace for the Sudanese President, and pledged to rehabilitate its railway system. The Chinese are very involved and have so much invested in Sudan. One of Sudan's major exports is oil and China is Sudan's biggest buyer. The money that Sudan gets from China is is used to purchase guns and weapons. These are used to kill the people in Darfur. So in a sense, China is funding or bankrolling the genocide in Darfur

(The Rwanda government has had a positive influence in Darfur rather than a negative one like the above two. The Rwanda government, having gone through a similar circumstance with the genocide of the Tutsi people empathize with Darfur and has sent many troops into Darfur to act as peacekeepers)

Then there are the people who saw what was happening, but didn't resist. This can be seen different ways. It doesn't seem like they would have anything to do with the conflict, but isn't it believed that someone witnesses a wrong doing they have the responsibility to do something about it and that when they don't it is considered an injustice? I can understand the take that these people are "in the wrong" because of what they didn't do. I think of the saying that questions what hurts more; an enemy doing something to hurt you or a friend seeing this and doing nothing to stand up for you. You expect your enemy to hurt you, but you don't expect your friend to be unloyal so when they forsake you it hurts even more it may not be a physical pain, but emotionally it hurts worse. In a sense, this is a similar situation. You can expect the militant to keep doing what they are doing, but when the people around you see what is happening, but do nothing about it and don't resist it hurts as well and they are in the wrong too.

However, I do not think that the people who did not resist are worse than the people who are doing the initial wrongdoing. The initial injustice (that done by the Jangaweed) is the worst. Therefore to answer the prompt I think that the militant is the worst.

"By studying these tragic lessons from history... it will raise [their] awareness and help [them] understand what can happen when you judge people by their race, their homeland or their beliefs."

—Illinois State Sen. Jacqueline Collins

Even just by educating ourselves about the subject is better than doing nothing.

Below is a link to a video and websites with so much more information on the topic. If you only have time to look at one, watch the video. It is from darfurscores.org, but it was produced by Genocide Intervention Network who encourages people who watch it to share it...so that's what I'm doing.

"Never Again: The Permanent Anti-Genocide Movement"
Bringing Attention To Darfur on Facebook
darfurscores.org
Sudan Tribune articles

Summing UP the last 2 Weeks!

In one word....

CrAzInEsS!!!

But it's been good. Semi big news is I've decided to change my Blog's title. (whoooOoOOoooOOOooo!!!) It's getting crazy! But even bigger news, my cousin is getting married this weekend! We're driving up to Waco on Friday afternoon then sometime in their picking up my grandma, driving up to Dallas, going to the Brunch, rehearsal dinner, and of course the wedding. I'm so excited, but kept very busy right now getting ahead on homework and such because my whole weekend is pretty much gone. For example I am doing my blog Monday night versus Sunday night. It is an evening wedding Sunday afternoon so we probably won't make it home til about two Monday morning... it'll be a long day at school after the drive home. But thankfully I get to snooze out in the back seat between different homework assignments. I've just got the finishing touches on my outfit. A beautiful dress from Dillards I would describe as "Grape Ice" and a gorgeous matcing necklace and high heeled shoes... lets just say I will look snazzy! But most of all I'm looking forward to seeing family that I miss so much. That's my life as it is in a nutshell. :)

Rock Climbing

People always ask "Do you play any sports?" And yes I do, but people don't like my answer. I rock climb... and yes it is a sport. It frustrates me to death that nobody gets that. My daddy taught me everything I know and climbing is something that we enjoy doing together. So many of our vacations are centered around "Yea! that place has awesome bouldering! Let's go there!"

I talked to my daddy after getting so tired of "oh. You climb. That doesn't seem like a really competitive sport." or "Oh my goodness I love climbing too! Main Event Rocks!" While I agree Main Event has an outstanding climbing area for being...well Main Event, it bugs me that climbing doesn't get its props. And in truth it never really has. Just because I throw sometimes throw the football around the backyard with with my daddy, doesn't make me a football player. Anybody can climb...and that's what makes it such an awesome sport... anyone can do it... but you have work at it, and work hard, and be dedicated, to get good... to get really good. People don't understand that there is more to it than the easy stuff that everybody can do. When people say its not a sport I think "well then why are there rock climbing teams? Why are there national rock climbing competitions? climbing festivals? Stores that sell climbing equipment and gear? Climbing magazines? And professionals who make a living from the SPORT?!?

Climbing is amazing....and probably one of my

favorite things to do.

You can break climbing down to two things: top ropes and bouldering. Top ropes is climbing in a harness, clipped into a rope attached to an anchor at the top of the route. A person at the ground called the belayer takes up the slack as the person climbs up the rock. Bouldering is when you work problems without a rope. These climbs are shorter and you have people spotting you from the ground. You're just free climbing and if you fall you fall, but you're spotter directs your fall towards the crash pads. You can climb indoors in a gym or you can climb outdoors. Outdoors is way harder, but way funner!

Climbers climb routes. In a gym routes are marked with tape and you can only use the holds that are marked to get to the top. Outdoors, climbing a route is like a section of the rock that you climb and you can see a route, sequence of holds that will get you to the top. Each route, whether a bouldering route or a ropes route is given a level of difficulty (but they both have different scales). You pick a route to work and you try it and you'll fall, or slip, or your arms will get tired, but you go back and try it again and again and again until you finally finish it. It could take you mulitple trys or even trips to succeed. Some climbers will travel to a country, find a route that they fall in love with, and not get to the top until a couple summers later. Climbing takes persistance, but once you succeed... WOW, does it feel good!

My mommy says I have the build of a climber. It truly is something I enjoy. However I honestly do not have that much upper body strength. What I make up for my lack of strength with is my technique. Both me and my daddy are working on getting stronger because we could be really good if we did. One of my dreams is to be on a collegiate rock climbing team and get a scholarship for rockclimbing...yes they do give those out! Like I said rock climbing is gaining popularity! If I were in Colorado and I said "yeah I rock climb" not a single person would look at me funny because that is a very common sport there as well as in places like Whistler etc. I want to work to get really good. I want to travel with my daddy to places like Las Vegas and New Zealand and Whistler to climb. It's a passion and it will be for life.

Check out this video lint...THIS is climbing!!!

Chris Sharma

The last 2 weeks summed up...

Life's been good, probably shouldn't be complaining. I went to the otorinolaryngologist and found out I have a tonsil infection because of allergies....lovely. I've been loving this three day weekend, just not the homework. There are some teachers that really need to give less. I started thinking about it and we "work" 35 hours a week going to school and then come home and work 2 plus hours each night on homework so in actuality that's a 50 plus hour work week ...next on my agenda is geometry, and after that spanish, and after that choir, and after that science, and after that social studies...full afternoon...yep. But I'm holding on to the fact that I get to talk to my friend Molly this afternoon (I get to see her next weekend!!!) and on monday...there... is ....NO...SCHOOL!!! (so ready if you couldn't tell!).

Rodolfo Escalera

The above picture is of

Rodolfo Escalera

Rodolfo Escalera was born in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico in 1929. He fell in love with drawing at a young age. But his father discouraged his creativity and forbade him from becoming a professional artist. Instead Escalera became an architect. This allowed himself to express his creative ability, but still please his father.

After his father's death Escalera moved with his family to California. He worked cutting stencils in Los Angeles for Galindo and Burroughs, he was an artist for Hollywood Production Art, he opened his own art agency, Escalera Production Art Inc. In 1981 he began creating designs for collectible porcelain plates including a set of 9 plates depicting Olympic events which were declared "The Official Gift of the 1984 Olympics". He also designed a painting that was converted into a limited edition collectible plate for the 1985 World Cup Soccer Championship that was held in Mexico City. Upon retirement, he moved back to his hometown in Durango mexico, built a beautiful hacienda, and pursued his passion - oil painting.

This will link you to Rodolfo Escalera's painting titled Rio Suchiate (click on the image to enlarge it):

Rio Suchiate, Impression Giclée sur Papier Photo par Rodolfo Escalera

I choose this piece of art because I think it wonderfully represents Latin America. I think it represents Latin America because it truly captures the region's beauty. I think it shows the beauty of the land and it's people. The waterfall and greenery in the background are simply breathtaking. I love the bright colors and patterns of the clothing of the Native people. This demonstrates the beauty of the culture of the indigenous people. The painting is of native people crossing the river. One woman is carrying a child and another is balancing a basket of flowers on her head. The painting takes an action so normal and routine to these people as well as their culture and who they are as a people and uses these elements to reveal to the viewer the beauty of this region that people overlook.

Rodolfo Escalera's goal was to leave behind as many beautiful works of art as he could and to be remembered in Mexico after he passed away. He described each of his works of art as "a labor of love". All of his heart went into the making of each of his pieces and a part of him was left wrapped around each one. He loved his country and wanted everybody to see the beauty of it just like he did. I think that this piece of artwork does exactly that!